The Acute Stroke Ready Hospital designation includes an ongoing process of education, review of protocols and maintaining the most current up to date practice. There will also be ongoing communication/education with stroke neurologists at the accepting facilities. The impact on stroke care with tele medicine maximizes the use of life saving therapies, by increased use of TPA and decreasing mortality rates by identifying the high risk needs of our patients for their optimum healthcare. In 2013, the Minnesota Legislature authorized the
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to designate hospitals in Minnesota as “stroke hospitals”. A hospital that meets criteria for a Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC), Primary Stroke Center (PSC) or Acute Stroke Ready Hospital (ASRH) may voluntarily apply to the Commissioner of Health for designation, and upon the MDH review and approval of the application, hospitals shall be designated as CSC, PSC or ASRH for a three-year period. RC Hospital & Clinics was awarded the Acute Stroke Ready Hospital designation on July 1, 2014. After review of the application and meeting the ten criteria that were set, the review committee at MDH commended our stroke protocols, especially the systems that have been established around RC Hospital & Clinics activation of a stroke alert, including along with the roles of the individual team members. Including but not limited to our relationships with CSC and PSC’s stroke neurologist via Telestroke and verbal communication. The committee was pleased with our commitment to education through our periodic mock stroke codes and EMS feedback mechanisms that have been in place for the last year. MDH noted that these are key components in providing safe and expedited care to our stroke patients. “We are pleased with the rapid access that the Telestroke program offers us with specialized interventions through networking with our larger partners in Minneapolis and greatly improvedonsite stroke care.” commented Jen Macik, RN, DON.